Legal paper is one type of paper that is widely used today. The size of this legal paper itself is much larger when compared to other papers in general.
This paper is often used mainly for making documents, proposals, and various other types of needs.
Legal paper is one of the standard papers recognized by the international community. Its use is also applied in various countries. No wonder then the need for this one paper is quite high.
However, the need for this one paper is higher in the United States and Europe.
Legal Paper Size (Inch, Cm, Mm, Pixel)
It should be understood first, there are two types of legal paper in this world. The first is standard legal paper that we can easily find in various paper shops.
Then there are also junior legal papers. This one paper is different from the types of legal paper that we usually find.
1. Standard Legal Paper
Standard Legal Paper measures 21.59 cm wide and 35.56 cm high. If measured in millimeters the unit is 215.9 mm x 355.6 mm. If you measure it in inches, this paper size is 8.5 x 14 in.
It’s different if you use this legal-sized paper in the graphic world. In the world of graphics, this legal paper size is set in Pixels.
The pixel unit is usually influenced by the level of sharpness of color points or DPI (dots per in) on the page.
But there is a standard DPI that you can choose from. The standards are 72 DPI, 96 DPI, 150 DPI and 300 DPI. Each legal paper size has a sharp color point from the lowest to the highest. You can see more in the following table.
| Sharpness (DPI) | Standard legal size (pixels) |
| 300 | 2550 x 4200. |
| 150 | 1275 x 2100 |
| 96 | 816 x 1344 |
| 72 | 612 x 1008. |
It is the standard legal paper size with international DPI and Pixel units in the graphic design world.
You just need to adjust it to your needs. The larger the size of the image you edit, of course, the larger the DPI and Pixel sizes will be.
2. Junior Legal Paper
The next type of legal paper is junior legal. This paper is not at all popular in Indonesia but is the most popular substitute for A4 paper in the United States.
The size of this legal paper is much smaller than the usual legal size.
For details, if you measure in mm, then the size of this junior legal paper is 127 x 203 mm. If measured in centimeters the size is 12.7 x 20.3 cm. Meanwhile, if you convert it to inches, the size is 5 x 8 inches.
Furthermore, if you make a design with the same size, then the details are as follows:
| Sharpness (DPI) | Standard legal size (pixels) |
| 300 | 1500 x 2400. |
| 150 | 750 x 1200 |
| 96 | 480 x 768 |
| 72 | 360 x 576 |
Just like standard legal paper, the higher the sharpness or DPI of an image, the greater the resolution. This resolution is calculated in pixels.
If the image is converted to cm, mm, or inch, of course the length and width units also change.
Those are the two most common types of legal paper used in the world. Unfortunately, in Indonesia, this legal paper is rarely used. However, there are many foreign companies that use it as a standard for making their official documents.
Advantages of Legal Paper
From a functional point of view, this legal paper has many advantages. One of them is a very wide paper field.
This legal paper size is the largest among other HVS document papers that you can find.
With the use of legal paper, of course you can save more paper for your office or personal needs. For example, if you need 10 sheets of A4 size HVS to type a document, with this legal paper, you may only need 6 to 7 sheets.
So on one legal page you can enter more characters or words. Efficiency like this is very good if applied in the company. However, you still have to refer to the SOP for making documents that have been implemented in each company.
In addition to having a wider area due to the large size of legal paper, the weight of this legal paper is very good and not prone to tearing. From several sources we got, this legal paper has an average weight of 70 to 80 grams per sheet.
The size of this weight is fairly thick when compared to other papers that weigh in the range of 40 to 60. With a very good thickness, the paper and the contents of the documents contained in it can last for a long time.
Use of Legal Paper in Daily Life
Because of this wide legal paper size, there are many people and companies that use it to complement their daily activities. Usually legal paper is used for making documents, papers, proposals and others.
In making proposals and smaller documents, legal paper is often also used as abstract paper, volumes, and other types of needs. In some companies, there are also those who use this legal paper as a correspondence format.
They make legal paper as letterhead, making notification letters, certificates, and various other types of letters. Not infrequently legal paper with a high thickness is also used for making certificates.
Also Read: ID Card Size
Is Legal Paper the Same as Folio Paper?
In Indonesia, errors often occur regarding the size of this legal paper. Most lay people often think that this legal paper is the same as folio paper or F4 paper. Is this true? Turns out not at all.
Legal paper and folio paper are two completely different types of paper. Legal paper in cm has a size of 21.59 x 35.56. While folio paper has a size of 21.59 x 33. So its length is 2.56 cm compared to legal paper.
This is what often makes the results of printing documents do not match the display on the computer. But fortunately the width of the legal paper and F4 or Folio is exactly the same. So the error won’t be too fatal.
In Indonesia, Folio or F4 paper is indeed much more popular than legal paper. Worse, most people think that this legal paper is exactly the same as folio paper.
Even if you do printing at a service and ask for legal paper, they will give you folio paper.
From now on you should be able to convey this useful information to people. Give them a detailed explanation.
Make them understand that this legal paper size is not at all the same as the usual folio paper used.
